Welcome to the first EPIC excursion into China for the Tour of Qinghai lake. I will be bringing you the action from all 13 stages which encompasses 13 very different stages, taking in over 2000 kilometres of racing.

Click here for a more in depth preview of the stages to come.

Teams taking part:

Let us not beat around the bush! Only 16 teams are taking part in this race, excluding the guys at Control Techniques. It is also fair to say that the quality of the riders present might be the lowest we have ever experienced in the EPIC era. The length of this race, no doubt, put many teams off sending their strongest riders.

This will give many riders, considered as domestiques, to have a good go for victory.

GC Favourites:

With no time trial in the race and considering we end multiple stages with difficult mountain top finishes it looks like the 'biggest name' climbers will contest the GC title here. Fabio Duarte and Damiano Caruso look to be a cut above rest here, it looks like these two are destined to battle out multiple stages against each other for the overall title.

Jamel Johnson, who is yet to race an epic race, is highlighted as the 3rd favourite which underlines the comparative weakness of the startlist here. The Peruvian, with a very American name, nevertheless has a great opportunity to make the best, and most fruitful, debut for any EPIC rider to date.

Aside from the before mentioned we can expect to see Brambilla, Deignan and Rabottini in the mix, aside from that it is difficult to highlight anyone else who may challenge for the GC.

The Top Sprinters:

This race is certainly not as sprinter friendly as previous editions but there are still many potential sprint finishes for the quick men to drool over! MTN bring the best sprinter here in Kennedy, it is a great opportunity for this EPIC rider to notch up some wins. However, no sprinting support may mean he leaves empty handed.

Vacansoleil bring both Van Poppels to the race. Whoever leads out who, they are in a great position to notch up some wins as that looks to be the best sprint combination. Omega Pharma - Quickstep bring Trentin and Fenn to the race, such a combination could easily yield some victories if it goes to plan.

Champion Systems, the only Chinese team in the race, have disappointed many many locals in not bringing one single Chinese national to the race. To gain some credibility they have to be one of the most successful teams here, to avoid the impending questioning over their rider selections. In Schnaidt, they have a sprinter who may well challenge for a victory here. The young German has evidently improved throughout the season and his active manager will hope his faith in Schnaidt will yield some big results here.

Ones To Watch:

Stybar, given the season he is having, looks to be head and shoulders the most talented all round rider present .... by a mile. It will be strange if we don't see the Czech rider putting in some good performances. Omega Pharma - Quickstep really have brought a great squad here, this will be to the annoyance of the active EPIC managers who would have hoped a 'lesser' team would have been assembled for a 'non active' team.

Goals for active EPIC teams:

Cannondale – Medium (Top 3 General Classification)
Columbia – Medium Countered (Win GC)
Champion Systems – Medium Countered (Stage Win)


One more thing, don't forget to cheer for the Chinese contingent at Control Techniques!

First stage: Tonight @ 21'00